Combination air-water cooling device
Heat transfer systems and methods are disclosed. A heat transfer system includes an electronic enclosure that houses electronic components and includes a volume for a first fluid. A cold plate within the electronic enclosure is configured to contain a second fluid, and the cold plate includes a recess providing access to the second fluid. The heat transfer system also includes a heat transfer device configured to transfer heat from the first fluid to the second fluid. The heat transfer device is a single integrated piece that is situated within the recess wherein a first surface of the heat transfer device is configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface of the heat transfer device is configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
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The present disclosed embodiments relate generally to heat transfer systems, and more specifically to heat transfer systems to cool electronic components.
BackgroundMany electronic devices, such as high-power transistors and processors, require cooling to maintain normal operation. Typically, this type of cooling is performed by flowing air over the electronic device to remove heat or attaching an electronic device to a plate or bar containing a passage for water which removes heat. For many products, both cooling methods are required, which means water must be flown through a plate or bar, and air must be flown through the product.
To provide cool air and cool water, many products use an air/water heat exchanger to cool air that is continuously flown cyclically through the product. To cool air that is continuously run through a device, an air/water heat exchanger is needed. These types of exchangers can take many forms including: tube/fin heat exchanger, extruded heat sink, skived fin heat sink, zipper fin heat sink, etc.
Tube fin heat exchangers, while efficient, are typically expensive and multiple plumbing connections are required to connect water lines from the heat exchanger to other cooling devices such as a cold plate—decreasing reliability and adding cost.
Heat sinks, of all manufacturing methods, are less expensive and easier to install, but are not as efficient as heat exchangers because they typically require one or more thermal interface materials (e.g. thermal grease) and have more material between the air and water that heat must conduct through.
SUMMARYAn aspect may be characterized as a heat transfer system for electronic enclosures that includes a volume for a first fluid, a cold plate that is configured to contain a second fluid and includes a recess providing access to the second fluid, and a heat transfer device configured to transfer heat from the first fluid to the second fluid. The heat transfer device is a single integrated piece and is situated within the recess wherein a first surface of the heat transfer device is configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface of the heat transfer device is configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
Another aspect may be characterized as a method for transferring heat within an electronic enclosure. The method includes providing an electronic enclosure housing electronic components and including a volume for a first fluid, providing a cold plate within the electronic enclosure configured to contain a second fluid, and transferring heat from the first fluid to the second fluid using a heat transfer device. The heat transfer device is a single integrated piece situated within a recess in the cold plate and includes a first surface configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
In some embodiments, Fluid A 108 may circulate within the electronic enclosure 102 and may flow over the first surface of the heat transfer device 106. Similarly, Fluid B 110 may flow through the cold plate 104 and flow over the second surface of the heat transfer device 106. Furthermore, the heat transfer device 106 may be configured to have one or more protrusions extending from one or more of its surfaces, which may be shaped to improve overall heat transfer efficiency. For example, the protrusions may be fin-shaped, stacked fin-shaped, cylindrical, or any of several geometries known in the art to improve the efficiency of heat transfer. Protrusion geometry may be optimized for a variety of operating conditions, such as differing fluids, flow rates, and thermal environments. The combination of flowing Fluid A 108 and Fluid B 110 over the surfaces of the heat transfer device 106 and including protrusions on these surfaces may significantly increase the overall heat transfer efficiency between the two fluids. Furthermore, the heat transfer device 106 may also include aluminum or copper alloys or other thermally conductive materials known in the art, which may further aid in enhancing heat transfer efficiency.
In some embodiments, the heat transfer device 106 may couple to the cold plate 104 to form a sealed cavity that is provides access to Fluid B 110 via the cold plate 104. The walls of the sealed cavity may be formed by a surface of the heat transfer device 106 and a surface of the cold plate 104. Such a sealed cavity may either be contained within the cold plate 104, be contained within the heat transfer device 106, or extend into both the cold plate 104 and the heat transfer device 106.
In some embodiments, the cold plate 104 may contain a recess providing access to Fluid B 110 into which the heat transfer device 106 may be inserted to form a sealed cavity, or channel, between the cold plate 104 and the heat transfer device 106 though which Fluid B 110 may flow. This seal between the cold plate 104 and the heat transfer device 106 could be formed, for example, by adhesive bonding, brazing, welding, friction stir welding, an O-ring or other elastomer seal, or a variety of other methods known in the art.
In some embodiments, heat may be transferred from Fluid A 108 to Fluid B 110 via the heat transfer device 106. Fluid A 108 and Fluid B 110 may each be any of a number of fluids, such as air, water, water glycol, antifreeze, or any other fluid known in the art to be used in heat transfer systems. For example, Fluid A 108 may be air circulated within an electronic enclosure 102, which may be closed from the outside environment, and Fluid B 110 may be water flowed through the cold plate 104. The air 108 may absorb heat within the electronic enclosure 102 and flow over a first surface of the heat transfer device 106 to transfer this heat. The heat transfer device 106 may then transfer this heat to the water 110 flowing through the cold plate 104 directly via a second surface, which may be on the opposite side of a plate to the first surface. Such an arrangement may allow both the air and water interfacing surfaces of the heat transfer device 106 to be combined into a single integrated piece, potentially reducing thermal resistance and production costs by eliminating excess material and excessive thermal interfaces. The water 110 may then flow out of the electronic enclosure 102 to remove the excess heat from the system.
The top surface protrusions 216 are shown extending into the electronic enclosure on a first side and the bottom surface protrusions 226 are shown extending into the recess 211 on a second side. The central plate 212 and top surface protrusions 216 of the heat transfer device 206 may directly interface with a first fluid contained within the electronic enclosure and exterior to the cold plate 204, and the central plate 212 and bottom surface protrusions 226 may directly interface with a second fluid contained within the cold plate 204. The combining of the interfacing surfaces of both fluids into a single integrated piece forming the heat transfer device 206 may potentially reduce thermal resistance and production costs by eliminating excess material and excessive thermal interfaces.
The geometry of these top surface protrusions 416 and bottom surface protrusions 426 is not limited to the geometries depicted in
Additionally, the top surface protrusions 516 may contain heat pipes 536, which may further enhance heat conduction between the top surface protrusions 516 and the central plate 512. The central plate 512 of the heat transfer device 506 may directly interface with a first fluid contained within the electronic enclosure and exterior to the cold plate 504 and a second fluid contained within the cold plate 504. These exemplary stack fin-shape and cylindrical geometries (of the top surface protrusions 516 and bottom surface protrusions 526, respectively) may aid in the optimization of heat transfer efficiency between the first and second fluids in different ways. For example, the stacked fin-shape geometry may enable for a greater surface area for heat transfer and provide space for the introduction of conduction enhancers, such as the heat pipes 536, while cylindrical protrusion geometries may allow for less fluid flow inhibition.
The coupling of the heat transfer device 506 and the cold plate 504 may form a cavity, or channel 610, between the bottom surface of the heat transfer device 506 and a surface of the cold plate 504. The cold plate 504 may provide the channel 610 access to a fluid within the cold plate 504, which may flow through the channel 610. As described with reference to
The channel 746 may be configured connect to the sealed cavity formed between the heat transfer device 706 and the cold plate 704 after the heat transfer device 706 has been inserted into the recess 711. The central plate 712 of the heat transfer device 706 may directly interface with a first fluid contained within the electronic enclosure and exterior to the cold plate 704 and a second fluid contained within the cold plate 704. The channel 746 may enable an improvement in heat transfer efficiency by allowing the fluid contained within the cold plate 704 to more directly thermally interface with the central portions of the top surface protrusions 716, reducing the material the heat must conduct through. Additionally, the single bottom surface protrusion 726 may aid in diverting fluid towards the channel 746 passing through the fin-shaped protrusions 716 in embodiments involving flowing fluid in the cold plate 704, potentially further enhancing the overall heat transfer efficiency.
The coupling of the heat transfer device 806 and the cold plate 804 may form a cavity, or first channel 810, between the bottom surface of the heat transfer device 806 and a surface of the cold plate 804. The cold plate 804 may provide the first channel 810 access to a fluid within the cold plate 804, which may flow through the first channel 810. The heat transfer device 806 may also have a second tube-shaped channel 846 adjacent to the top surface of the central plate 812 that may be configured to connect to the first channel 810 and may have one or more fin-shaped protrusions 816 extending outwardly from it and into the electronic enclosure. Fluid from the cold plate 804 and first channel 810 may also flow through the second channel 846. A single protruding plate 826 may extend from the bottom surface of the central plate 812 of the heat transfer device 806 and into the fluid contained within the first channel 810. The second channel 846 may aid in improving heat transfer efficiency of the heat transfer device 806 by enabling the fluid contained within the cold plate 804 to more directly thermally interface with the central portions of the fin shaped protrusions 816 extending from the second channel 846. The single protruding plate 826 may potentially enhance this increase in heat transfer efficiency by enabling for the diversion of all or a portion of the flow of fluid from the cold plate 804 from the first channel 810 to the second channel 846.
In other embodiments, the fin-shaped protrusions 816 may extend to contact the central plate 812 of the heat transfer device 806 so that they effectively extend from the top surface of the central plate 812 into the electronic enclosure with the second channel 846 passing through.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A heat transfer system for electronic enclosures, the system comprising:
- an electronic enclosure housing electronic components and including a volume for a first fluid;
- a cold plate within the electronic enclosure, the cold plate is configured to contain within itself a second fluid, and the cold plate includes a recess providing access to the second fluid; and
- a heat transfer device configured to transfer heat from the first fluid to the second fluid, wherein the heat transfer device is a single integrated piece and is situated within the recess wherein a first surface of the heat transfer device is configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface of the heat transfer device is configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
2. The heat transfer system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer device is configured to have one or more protrusions extending from at least one of the first surface or the second surface.
3. The heat transfer system of claim 2, wherein the one or more protrusions are at least one of fin-shaped, stacked fin-shaped, or cylindrical.
4. The heat transfer system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer device further comprises:
- a channel adjacent to the first surface, the channel configured to contain the second fluid; and
- one or more protrusions extending from the channel.
5. The heat transfer system of claim 4, wherein the channel is tube-shaped.
6. The heat transfer system of claim 4, wherein the second fluid flows through the cold plate and flows through the channel.
7. The heat transfer system of claim 1, wherein the first fluid circulates within the electronic enclosure and flows over the first surface.
8. The heat transfer system of claim 1, wherein the second fluid flows through the cold plate and flows over the second surface.
9. The heat transfer system of claim 1, wherein the first fluid comprises air.
10. The heat transfer system of claim 1, wherein the second fluid includes at least one of water, water glycol, or antifreeze.
11. The heat transfer system of claim 1, wherein the single integrated piece includes at least one of aluminum or a copper alloy.
12. A method for transferring heat within an electronic enclosure, the method comprising:
- providing an electronic enclosure housing electronic components and including a volume for a first fluid;
- providing a cold plate within the electronic enclosure configured to contain within itself a second fluid; and
- transferring heat from the first fluid to the second fluid using a heat transfer device, wherein the heat transfer device is a single integrated piece situated within a recess in the cold plate and comprises:
- a first surface configured to directly interface with the first fluid; and
- a second surface configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the heat transfer device further comprises one or more protrusions extending from at least one of the first surface or the second surface.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more protrusions are at least one of fin-shaped, stacked fin-shaped, or cylindrical.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the heat transfer device further comprises:
- a channel adjacent to the first surface, the channel configured to contain the second fluid; and
- one or more protrusions extending from the channel.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the channel is tube-shaped.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
- flowing the second fluid through the cold plate and through the channel.
18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
- circulating the first fluid within the electronic enclosure and over the first surface.
19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
- flowing the second fluid through the cold plate and over the second surface.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the first fluid comprises air.
21. The method of claim 12, wherein the second fluid includes at least one of water, water glycol, or antifreeze.
22. The method of claim 12, wherein the single integrated piece includes at least one of aluminum or a copper alloy.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Mar 31, 2020
Date of Patent: Nov 16, 2021
Patent Publication Number: 20210307196
Assignee: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO)
Inventor: Jon Danielson (Fort Collins, CO)
Primary Examiner: Adam B Dravininkas
Application Number: 16/835,685
International Classification: H05K 7/20 (20060101);